I'm a staff writer at Forbes, where until recently I chased the super-rich for our Forbes 400 and World's Billionaires lists. Now I'm covering the consumer economy, writing about the big personalities reinventing retail. Before Forbes, I worked as a news reporter in the UK and my home country of Bermuda, a travel writer for Frommer's and an intern for CNN's Anderson Cooper while completing a master's degree at Columbia University. Got a story idea? Email me at coconnor@forbes.com.

It’s been almost 15 months since the rust belt town of Racine, Wisc. was turned upside down by allegations against a member of its de facto first family.

Curt Johnson, one of five heirs to the $11.5 billion S.C. Johnson cleaning fortune, was charged with the repeated sexual assault of a child last March. She was later acknowledged as his stepdaughter, who was 12 when the alleged molestation started in 2007.

At the time, Johnson entered a not guilty plea and wrote a check for $500,000 in bond. If convicted, the 57-year-old faces 40 years behind bars.

Racine residents have waited ever since for a trial to commence. Its original April 23rd start date came and went.

Now, the trial is on hold while the state’s Supreme Court decides whether or not to rule on a key component of the prosecution’s case: the testimony of Johnson’s stepdaughter.

The defense claimed this paperwork might indicate a pre-existing condition that may have caused the child to misunderstand or misreport the alleged sexual assaults. The teen and her mother refuse to hand over those records.

As a punitive sanction, an appellate court ruled the girl cannot testify unless she shows her records to, at the very least, Racine Circuit Judge Eugene Gasiorkiewicz for a closed-door review. The prosecution, via the Attorney General, asked for the Supreme Court to review that decision.

Racine may have to wait a few more months for any movement towards a trial, as the Supreme Court is in recess during the summer months of July and August. “There’s no indication of a time frame for them to take up any particular case,” said Tom Sheehan, the Court’s information officer.

Locals who’ve been watching the saga unfold fear that the case against Johnson will fall apart without his stepdaughter’s testimony. The state’s next best bet for a witness would be Johnson’s Arizona-based therapist, who reported the alleged sexual assault. However, the prosecution has been trying to secure his appearance before the court since February, so far to no avail.

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It is a shame when a guilty person goes free, but it is the nature of our justice system, and we are seeing the ugly side of an important and core piece of that system being played out here- the right to face your accuser.

While I want to see him brought to justice if he really did this, in no way do I want to live in a country where a man can be tried and convicted without the opportunity to cross-examine those who accuse him of wrong-doing.

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Mr. Johnson may want to hire Frank Parise of Kenosh. Parise is representing James Greco who is being charged with sexual assault of a minor. Greco actually impregnated the girl, but will get off because of who he knows. Court Comish Carl Greco etc. And look at WICOURTS.gov cases: Denise Heckel. Denise allegedly killed 15 year old Michellina Combs and didn’t get so much as a citation because her cousin is Kenosha Co Sheriff David Beth. People in the know say Denise Moore-Heckel’s husband, Eugene, did the deed. He was drunk as a skunk and hit and killed little Michellina Combs who was walking home from school. Eugene Heckel is a Pleasant Prairie Police Sergeant (crook) and his mom “worked” as a sec. for Judge David Bastian aka Bastianelli. It’s who ya know. Look at the vehicular homocide of Kenosha CO. deputy sheriff Blanco Aquino. He was struck dead by drunk driver Kent Kruzan who did a mere 3 months. Word on the street is that Kruzan wasn’t really drunk and left the scene only to turn himself in the next day, but was part of a potential drug bust ? Kenosh has a history as does the state of Wisconsin (Escape to Wisconsin harkins to the criminals of yesteryear)…RFK said Kenosha is the bear=ding ground of the mob. Orson Welles said Kenosha is a Nasty Little Town. I personally grew up there and loved it, save the crooks downtown. They may have been crooks, but they were “La Cosa Notra” crooks, “OURs.”